Needle Arthroscopy System Allows Less Invasive Procedures

A nano-operative arthroscopy system offers an incisionless patient experience and unlimited atraumatic access to joint spaces during diagnostic and surgical procedures.

The Arthrex (Naples, FL, USA) NanoScope operative arthroscopy imaging system is a medical-grade, 3-in-1, single-use camera system with intuitive touchscreen tablet control that combines advanced one mm imaging sensors, light emitting diode (LED) lighting, image management software, and operating room (OR) integration. The chip-on-tip NanoScope is both diagnostic and therapeutic, in that it allows direct visualization of intraarticular pathology in the hip, knee, shoulder, wrist and other joints. For example, treating meniscal tears requires only a 1.9 mm spinal needle to establish access to the joint.


A recent series of studies conducted at Marshall University (Charleston, WV, USA) described use of the NanoScope system to perform three types of arthroscopic joint procedures, which included a single-incision rotator cuff repair, an incisionless partial medial meniscectomy, and a single-incision anterior labrum repair. The researchers found that the NanoScope system allowed fewer to no incisions, resulting in decreased loss of and need for fluid, less swelling and pain, and decreased risk of wound infection. The studies were published in the March 2020 issue of Arthroscopy Techniques.

“The NanoScope system provides an alternative to MRI imaging and second-look arthroscopy, and offers precise, direct image-guided visualization of injections,” concluded lead author Chad Lavender, MD, of the department of orthopaedic surgery sports medicine, and colleagues. “We have yet to fully realize the full potential of the NanoScope, as its small size and function make it a prime candidate for other procedures. Future studies will explore these possibilities.”

Arthroscopic procedures are minimally invasive surgical procedures that show faster recovery times and lower complication rates when compared to open surgery, and can also be performed on an outpatient basis.

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